MADURAI: The Public Information Officer of the Southern Railway (Construction), in a reply to a query under the Right to Information (RTI) Act on January 15, mentioned that a proposal has been made to place the 143.5-kilometre Madurai-Thoothukudi broad-gauge line project on hold due to low freight prospects.
With the union budget for FY27 to be presented soon, the DREU has urged the union government to allocate more funds, which has been largely considered as the cause for the delay of the project that was announced back in 2011-2012.
As part of the project, an 18-kilometre stretch between Milavittan and Melmarudur has been completed, and it was authorised by the Commission of Railway Safety on March 8, 2022. Land acquisition is pending for the remaining stretch from Melmarudur to Thiruparankundram, for which the state government passed an order in February 2023. However, there has been no progress in this regard during the last year.
Dayanand Krishnan, who had filed the RTI query, told TNIE that putting the project on hold citing low freight prospects is unacceptable. He said, "Only Rs 18.25 crore was allocated for the project in the 2024 budget. In 2025, Rs 52 crore was allocated, but only Rs 10 crore was spent, as revealed in the RTI reply." He requested the chief minister to urge the union government to execute the project and the railway authorities to allocate adequate funds in the upcoming budget.
A railway official, on condition of anonymity, said the Railway Board has not sent any communication regarding a freeze on the project. "The state government has completed all the clerical work, including land survey and compensation assessment. We are expecting more funds in the upcoming budget. If funds are allocated, the work will begin automatically," said the official.
Dakshin Railway Employees Union (DREU) zonal joint secretary R Sankara Narayanan told TNIE that Thoothukudi -- a tier-II city -- has significant industrial potential, especially after the establishment of the furniture park, which has increased the prospects for freight movement.
"There are no direct long-route trains for people in the Aruppukottai and Vilathikulam regions. Also, businesses in Coimbatore and Krishnagiri districts export their products through Visakhapatnam or Bengaluru. If the railway route is established, freight movement through Thoothukudi will increase. All elected MPs have unanimously raised their voices to ensure the project is executed swiftly," he said.